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The play of McLendon, and to a much lesser extent, Ta'amu isn't exactly the sort of body of work that makes Chadman think- "yep, he's the guy going forward". They both just seem ok.

Given that most fans were not happy with the overall play of the Defense, not sure how installing McLendon automatically upgrades NT next season.

The thing is:

Re-signing Hampton definitely does not upgrade the NT position next season...

Mitchell is a guy who likes to stick with his veterans...period...

Yes, I know that Casey started as a rookie, midway through the season...but that was in 2001, for God's sake...Keisel didn't start until his 5th year...

Also, Mitchell doesn't seem to care about draft position...whether you were drafted in the first round or the fifth round, you pretty much aren't getting out there unless one of his veterans is injured...

Now, this is not a criticism of Coach Mitchell...he has proven himself to be an excellent 3-4 D-Line Coach...it's just an observation...

I f you want an upgrade at NT, draft Jesse Williams or John Jenkins, otherwise we'll be just....ok.

As for Woodley, I was JK, Lamar was never on the lean side since becoming a Steeler. His weight was 265 or more and he played at a high level before the injuries. When healthy, Lamar is one of the best in the game so hopefully he'll stay injury free next season.

I f you want an upgrade at NT, draft Jesse Williams or John Jenkins, otherwise we'll be just....ok.

As for Woodley, I was JK, Lamar was never on the lean side since becoming a Steeler. His weight was 265 or more and he played at a high level before the injuries. When healthy, Lamar is one of the best in the game so hopefully he'll stay injury free next season.

But can the Steelers afford to draft a NT when they need help at RB, WR, CB or even Safety? Not to mention LB..

Re-signing Hampton definitely does not upgrade the NT position next season...

Mitchell is a guy who likes to stick with his veterans...period...

Yes, I know that Casey started as a rookie, midway through the season...but that was in 2001, for God's sake...Keisel didn't start until his 5th year...

Also, Mitchell doesn't seem to care about draft position...whether you were drafted in the first round or the fifth round, you pretty much aren't getting out there unless one of his veterans is injured...

Now, this is not a criticism of Coach Mitchell...he has proven himself to be an excellent 3-4 D-Line Coach...it's just an observation...

That's a fair observation. That said, Coach Mitchell also said we should be watching out for McLendon this year & making judgements on him based on his play in 2012. Well, the judgement on his play in 2012 certainly isn't that he's a sure-fire replacement! He was ok... there were flashes, but in Chadman's opinion- he's more confident in the success of say, Mike Adams, than McLendon, based on 2012.

The play of McLendon, and to a much lesser extent, Ta'amu isn't exactly the sort of body of work that makes Chadman think- "yep, he's the guy going forward". They both just seem ok.

Given that most fans were not happy with the overall play of the Defense, not sure how installing McLendon automatically upgrades NT next season.

It's not a matter of "just Installing" McLendon, it is how he is used. If he is used as just a space consumer, occupying blockers then he won't be successful. If he is allowed to pentrate and attack he could be very good.

Playing Fantasy Football does not qualify you to be the in the front office or on the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are professionals and you are not!

It's not a matter of "just Installing" McLendon, it is how he is used. If he is used as just a space consumer, occupying blockers then he won't be successful. If he is allowed to pentrate and attack he could be very good.

Chadman suspects the 'impact' McLendon has on the field is getting blown out of proportion. There was very little evidence out of McLendon that he could 'be very good'. He looks like he can serve a role, but 2 sacks & what was it? 4 QB pressures? Over the course of a season isn't making Chadman think we have a Hall of Fame guy on the roster. He's more likely to be 'just a guy' than he is to being 'very good'.

While Chadman understands you want to shake things up on defense- if you want 3 or 4 DLinemen breaking through after the QB, instead of doing what they've done on near 20 years in Pittsburgh in occupying blockers, then you may as well gather up all the LB's on the roster & punt them too, because only really Timmons is suited to dropping into coverage consistantly.

There's nothing actually 'wrong' with the system the Steelers use. Age, injury & potentially talent are the issues. Injury is mostly luck mixed with preparation. Age is fixed by knowing when to move on from older guys. And talent... well, talent is an issue regardless of the defensive front.

The argument that rookies don't get on the field in Pittsburgh is flawed- Hampton, Hood, Woodley, Cortez Allen, Larry Foote, Kendrell Bell, Willie Gay... there are numerous examples of rookies contributing early. The issue is more generally expectation. We see 1st rounders sitting on the bench for a year or two- Polamalu, Timmons, Heyward etc... all 1st round guys that didn't get on the field early, consistantly. But what were they drafted for, these guys? The Steelers do an EXCELLENT job of identifying future need- 1 or 2 years in the future. How many 1st round draft picks are on the bench after 2 years? Tomlin/Colbert have a history of drafting very young, unpolished players & coaching them up.